Digital/Material: developments in printed and woven textiles
Date: 27th October 2017
Venue: University for the Creative Arts, Rochester

Surface pattern has the power to transform objects, materials and environments, layering them with new understanding. Patterned, decorated and ornamented surfaces can add colour, texture and the illusion of depth, and they can carry symbolic meanings that are cultural, political or psychological.

Over the last decade the application of printed surface pattern has been revolutionised by advances in technology. Digital printing offers unparalleled scope for innovation, yet it follows a rich historical tradition of printed decoration in fashion, the interior and beyond.

On 27th October 2017 UCA will host the Digital/Material international conference, to celebrate and examine the transformative power of printed textiles. In recent years they have been on the crest of a wave of print and pattern that sees no sign of subsiding, with, for instance, new digital decorative techniques in architecture and interiors, the digital deployment of smart materials, and the emergence of engineered pattern in garments.

Yet the printing of a patterned surface has sometimes been controversial, and the conference also seeks to explore the legacy of the past politics of pattern, as well as the deployment of pattern in politics: how pattern has been used as a powerful tool to provoke, explore and present thinking on political issues. Topics covered will include:
• What is the impact of digital technology in printed in textiles and beyond?
• What role will be played by new materials?
• How does history inform contemporary printed pattern making?
• How can printed textiles reflect diverse global cultures?
• What is the future of printed pattern?

Keynote Speakers: Phillip David Stearns, founder of Glitch Textiles in New York and artist David Mabb.

Click here For further booking 
or contact Professor Lesley Millar lmillar@ucreative.ac.uk

Text & image: Thanks to University of The Creative Arts

Are you a science/engineering undergrad considering working in the UK textiles industry?

Making It in Textiles is a free two-day conference aimed at inspiring undergraduates to consider a future in the UK textiles industry. The UK textile industry is experiencing a resurgence, which is creating jobs but there is a skills gap.

The conference is in its 3rd year and the event offers a mix of plenary talks, interactive sessions, a networking dinner and a trip to a textile mill. The sessions are also videoed and available online.

Previously only BA (Hons) Textile Design students have been invited, via a selection of UK educational institutions, but feedback from the industry has suggested those with engineering/science degrees could have the right skills for a career in textiles.

This year the conference organisers are offering up a handful of places to final year undergraduates (entering their final year from September 2016) who are studying engineering or science related degrees at a UK university. They are looking for those who intend to work in the UK post-graduation and are willing to consider the textile industry for their career.

The event is being fully funded by three City of London Livery Companies and the Campaign for Wool. There is no cost to attend, and they will cover your accommodation, catering and train fare.

If you are interested please contact Abby Wright-Parkes who is organising the event on behalf of the sponsors via abby@optimistconsulting.co.uk asap for information.